Bernabéu and Casablanca fight for the 2030 World Cup final

Battle for the 2030 final: Bernabéu or Casablanca

The 2030 World Cup final venue is not settled. Spain want the Santiago Bernabéu. Morocco want the Hassan II stadium in Casablanca, a planned 115,000-seat super-stadium (1). Portugal are a co-host, but the two heavyweights are fighting over the biggest prize. For Portuguese fans, it matters, the final is the match you plan a trip around, and a Madrid final is a very different proposition than Casablanca.

Summer tournament, South American curtain-raiser

The 2030 World Cup will be a summer tournament across Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Three opening matches will be played in South America, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, to mark the centenary of the first World Cup (2). After that, the tournament moves to the Iberian peninsula and North Africa for the rest of the schedule.

Fan reactions

The round of 16 exit still stings, but Ronaldo fans are not letting the 41-year-old's tournament go quiet. One Reddit thread tallied his three World Cup goals, noting he matched or exceeded the shots-on-target numbers of entire teams like Argentina, France, and Belgium. The appreciation is real. See the full thread